The Last Mission
by MaverickThePony
Summary: Iron Foot has escaped and Nails has to go and kill him, but he doesn't seem too enthusiastic. A dark past is revealed and an old prophecy comes to light. Sequel to Finding his Home. Rated M for Language, violence, and gore in later chapters.
1. Prologue

WARNING!

You are currently reading the third and final story in the Price of Harmony series started off with the story, The Price of Harmony. The second story in this series is called Finding His Home. If you would prefer to avoid confusion Please read the two preceding stories before beginning this one.

You have been warned multiple times.

Prologue

Gilda walked through Hoofington. She was forced to live among ponies since she didn't have a family to go back to in Griffon lands. She had grown to be fine with it and barely ever complained, but now more than ever she missed Rainbow Dash as a friend. She walked into the market to get a few groceries and some gossip.

"Hey Gilda have you heard the news?" asked her friend Oatmeal.

"What news?"

"You're old friend Rainbow Dash! She's supposedly dating a pony from outside of Equestria. One of her weather teams came through here on their way to Canterlot to deliver the semi-annual report and they were talking about it!"

Gilda was stunned. She had never known Rainbow Dash to like anypony, she had always been sort of tomcoltish. Gilda guessed that this meant she could have an excuse to go and see her and try to mend their relationship. Maybe she could meet Rainbow's new coltfriend. Gilda took off and set out for Ponyville.


	2. The Prophecy

Chapter 1: The Prophecy

Iron Foot walked into the base. It wasn't good but it would have to do for now. In his final days as commander of the Forshan army he had sent some of his most loyal soldiers to this place to prepare. If he was correct than he was about to experience revenge in the full. "Soon, Talon will pay with his life!"

Nails sat up in his bed, something wasn't right. He quickly got out and walked around the house. He went outside to his safe. He had recently bought a safe where he stored his gun and a few of his last cigars. He went over to the safe to get them out. He entered his combination and got out his gun belt for his .45 revolver and his 'special' cigars. These had been a part of his past and sometimes he would get them out when the night wasn't good. Also in the safe was an old tattered book. Reaching in and grabbing it, he smelled something in the air. It smelled like a small flame. Nopony was up at this time of night and he wasn't smoking which means either he left the furnace on or his night was about to get really bad. He smelled the air again, this time he caught a whiff of gasoline.

As if on cue, the building behind him exploded into a giant fireball. He quickly drew his gun and pulled the hammer back. Whoever had done this couldn't have gotten far. His eyes scanned the darkness until he saw a shape in the distance. He aimed his gun and waited for light to catch some part of the pony. It finally did. Applejack was sprinting towards the wreckage.

"Damn it." he muttered under his breath as Applejack got close. "They got away."

"What happened here Nails?" asked Applejack.

Nails ignored the question and began to walk away from the town. He didn't get far before Applejack tackled him and pinned him to the ground. "I said, what happened here?" there was a fire in Applejack's eyes as she held him there. Nails looked out towards a hill where he saw a flash.

"That bastard." he said as Applejack continued to hold him down.

"What did you say tah me?" asked Applejack as Twilight and Rainbow Dash arrived on the scene.

"What are you doing Applejack?" asked Rainbow Dash seeing her friend on top of Nails.

"I'm tryin tah get an answer outta this stubborn pony." replied Applejack who got off at this point.

Rainbow ran right up to Nails placing him in a huge embrace. He didn't return it which made the ponies wonder why he was in such a bad mood. Suddenly, a pegasus showed up. The three ponies prepared themselves for a fight.

"Stand down girls, he's just a Canterlot messenger." said Nails who was sitting up on his own now. The three looked back at the pegasus that had just landed to see that he definitely had the Canterlot mark.

"Could you ponies please tell me where I could find a Nails?" asked the pegasus.

"That'd be me." said Nails holding up his claw. At this point Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were walking up to the scene.

"Uhm, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would like to see you right away." with that the messenger took off back towards Canterlot.

"Well, that didn't explain a lot." said Rarity as they watched the pegasus fly off.

"It did for me. But I'd rather not talk about it until I see if I'm right."

The six ponies eyed him suspiciously. Before Rainbow spoke up, "When do we leave?"

Nails' eyes shot open, "Oh no, you six aren't going anywhere. This time I'm going on my own." Nails turned to leave before he felt Applejack tackle him to the ground. This time he actually tried to fight it. As he began to gain height he felt even more pressure. He looked up to see Rainbow Dash pressing his shoulders down.

"Fine then." Nails said giving in, "Have it your way, but I'll promise you this. I doubt you will like anything that comes from this. We leave tomorrow morning. I suggest you go and get ready." Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all turned to go home while Rainbow Dash stayed behind. She walked over to Nails who was sitting on the cliff overlooking the lake.

"What's wrong Nails?" she asked putting her hoof around him. He just looked her. She didn't say anything more.

"I hope I'm wrong." said Nails suddenly. Rainbow Dash's ears perked up. "I hope that this wasn't what I think it was."

"What do you think it is?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"You've never heard the prophecy of the claw have you?" asked Nails looking deep into Rainbow's eyes. She shook her head.

"The Prophecy of the Claw says that there will be a time of great war between the lands of Equestria and Forshan. During this time a hero of Equestria would arise. They would be battle-hardened and have a reputation that exceeded their grasp, but there was one more trait about the hero that would make him stand out from ponies. He would have an abnormality in his right-front leg.

Rainbow Dash tightened her embrace. The prophecy was obviously talking about Nails and judging by the way he had acted earlier, the rest of the prophecy couldn't be bright.

"The hero is said to be not fully pony and have a dark past. He would pretend to join the army and would end up capturing the evil leader. Then he would do three things: first he would relocate to the town in which the elements of Harmony resided, second he would be reunited with a long, lost relative, and finally he and the pony which represented the element of loyalty would fall in love. After these things had occurred, his enemy would escape from the prison that held him and seek revenge. The hero would then take up his weapon to go and seek out and kill his foe, the elements of harmony would follow him."

"So, us going along is in the prophecy itself. Why did you try to keep us from going?" asked Rainbow Dash as she held onto him.

"I'm getting to that. When they finally find their enemy the element of loyalty with whom the hero had fallen in love with would be given a choice" Rainbow Dash leaned in closer to Nails. "She could let Equestria suffer and keep her love, or she could hand the hero over to the enemy and Equestria could live in peace for the rest of its days."

Tears began forming in Rainbow Dash's eyes, she had expected bad news but not this grim. She had just heard that she could either let her friend or her country perish. The news was too much and she buried her face into Nails bawling. When she finally stopped crying she asked Nails if there was any more to the prophecy.

"No, nothing. That's why I'm certain that I'll die. If I try to fight Iron Foot, he would kill me. That's why he was placed at the position of commander of Forshan, because of his skill. I would never be able to beat him in a fight unless I had an advantage he could never have."

"Why didn't you kill him when we captured him?"

"Because I couldn't. Strange things happen when you try to interfere with a prophecy. It would have been impossible for anypony to kill him that day. Any attempts would fail in ways that would have been called coincidence if you didn't know about the prophecy. For example, if I had tried to shoot him, anything could have happened except a successful shot. My gun could have jammed, the hammer could have broken, the powder may not have ignited. Like I said, strange things happen when you try to interfere with a prophecy."

"So, no matter what, I'll still have to make that choice."

"I'm sorry Rainbow, do me a favor and please don't tell the others. If they knew they may try anything to stop it and could get themselves hurt."

"I just don't know what I'll do when the time comes."

"Remember I'll be there to help you make the right choice."

"But how can I say I'm making the right choice if you have to die!"

Nails was silent for a moment, "When I told you I cared about you, after I had rejected you, I did so because of something that Delta told me at the Grand Galloping Gala. He said that I was faced with two roads. One that looked easier to take, but I also was faced with the right road. One that was more difficult but ended in a much better way than the other road. When the time comes, I'll help you to take the right road."

The two stayed on the cliff for the rest of the night. Neither of them slept or said anything until morning. At that point Nails made breakfast for the both of them. He had to light a fire and cook the eggs Fluttershy brought on some smooth rocks he found. When Twilight got there she spoke up.

"Nails, before coming here I hired a construction company to rebuild your home while we're gone."

"Twilight you really didn't-" Rainbow Dash was cut off by Nails.

"Thank you Twilight, you're always looking out for a chance to help me and I really appreciate it." Twilight went and sat down waiting for the rest of her friends to get there. While she did this, Nails turned to Rainbow Dash and whispered, "The less they know the better. Just like old times."

"Yeah, just like old times." said Rainbow as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

The seven ponies began their trek to Canterlot. They had decided that the best route for them to take would be to visit the capital city of Forshan. There they would meet up with Whiskey and try to gain any information possible. After they had gained any information they could they would try to set out for wherever they thought Iron Foot might hide. If they got enough they would go directly there. Nails had neglected to tell any of the others what would happen once they got there. They left Ponyville.

Nails's final journey had begun.

Gilda landed in Ponyville at about noon. She looked around, noticing all of the looks she was getting. None of them were friendly. She had come here hoping to mend her relationship with Rainbow Dash. She had left Ponyville with a sour taste in its mouth the last time she was here. She hoped that she could fix that and try living here. She walked up to vegetable stand where a mare was selling carrots. Luckily for her, this pony didn't seem to recognize Gilda.

"Hey, uh, I just flew into town and was wondering if you knew where Rainbow Dash was?" asked Gilda a little cautiously should this pony remember her.

"Ya, she left with her friends and that stallion Nails this morning. They didn't say where they were going, but it looked like they were heading for Canterlot." responded the pony, "Do you want to wait for her?"

"Nah, I think I'll see if I can catch up with her."

"Bye."

"Bye." with that Gilda flew off, if she was traveling with her friends she would have to be walking. This meant that in the air, Gilda would be able to catch her possibly before the day was over. Gilda hoped that Rainbow Dash would accept her back.


	3. The Bloodstained Gun

Chapter 2: The Blood-stained Gun

Nails and the other ponies had set up camp in a forest about three hours walk from Canterlot. The sun had begun to set so they decided that they could finish the trek on the next day. As soon as they finished camp setup, Nails started dishing out jobs.

"Pinkie Pie, you can help me cook. Rarity can go with Twilight to forage. Fluttershy, your freaky animal skills just may give us a chance at some honey so I want you to try that. Rainbow Dash, I know that you still can't fly so I'm going to ask you to gather up twigs and bring them back ok?"

"You got it." was the common reply.

Rainbow Dash left the camp slowly. Not only was she grounded for a few months, but soon the one colt she ever loved would have to die for her country. Once she was certain that nopony could hear her she began to cry quietly.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow's ears perked up. She hadn't heard that voice in a year. She turned to see Gilda standing a few feet behind her.

"Gilda? What are you doing here?"

"Listen, I'm really sorry about why I was in such a bad mood last time I visited. Something really bad had happened recently before then and I guess I was looking for an outlet."

"Really?"

"Ya, I'm really sorry about everything. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course Gilda."

A little while later, Nails and Pinkie Pie were putting the pot near the fire pit. Nails began to keep looking off towards where Rainbow Dash had gone.

"She should have been back by now." he said to himself, "Pinkie, can you manage on you own for a little while? I'm going to see what's taking Rainbow Dash so long."

"Okie-Dokie-Lokey!"

Nails left Pinkie Pie to deal with getting setup while he went in the direction Rainbow Dash had left in. It didn't take long before he heard her voice. Then he heard a different voice. One he had never heard before but it fit on a body he had seen. He couldn't place it. He reached the top of a hill where he saw Rainbow Dash. That wasn't what he focused on however; she was talking to a griffon. The griffon. Fire filled Nails's eyes.

"So I heard from someone that you have a coltfriend. What's he like?"

"Well he's-"

A gunshot echoed throughout the forest. The next thing Rainbow Dash knew Gilda was on the ground clutching her shoulder in pain. Rainbow Dash quickly looked towards a hill where she saw Nails sprinting towards her. When he got close he didn't slow down, instead he used his momentum to deliver a kick to Gilda.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow Dash asked as Nails kicked Gilda again.

The question was ignored.

"Why the hell are you here?" yelled Nails as he kicked her again. "Why did you come here you stupid griffon?"

"I came here to make up with Rainbow Dash!" was all Gilda could manage before she got kicked again.

At this point the others had made it to the clearing where the violence was occurring.

"To hell you did! I know that I never forget a face. But in your case you wish you could forget mine!"

Gilda's eyes widened in horror, "No! No! Not you! Please don't hurt me!" was all Gilda managed before she broke into tears.

"Too late! Your clan should have thought about the hell they caused me! And now, my goal is to send them all to hell!" said Nails as he pulled back the hammer on his gun, pointing it at Gilda's temple.

"Any last words griffon?"

"Nails!" Rainbow Dash had been yelling his name for the entire duration of this without results. This time however, Nails seemed to take notice and quickly turned his head to face Rainbow Dash. The look in his eyes was one of pure hatred, she was scared to interfere but she knew she had to.

"Look at me!" Rainbow Dash almost cried as Nails stared into her faces. His gaze went into her eyes and he felt sudden realization fall on him. His claw trembled and the gun fell out onto the ground. He fell onto his haunches and began to look at the ground.

"Get out of here." was all he said as he looked at the ground. "You! Griffon! Are you deaf? Get the hell out of here now!" Gilda didn't need to be told again. She immediately began flying back to Hoofington. Her hopes of reforming her friendship with Rainbow Dash shattered. She cried as she flew back to the only home she had.

Back on the ground, Nails was also crying. Rainbow Dash couldn't understand what had gotten him upset and immediately hugged him. He hugged her back and cried into her shoulders.

"I'm exactly what ponies think of me. I'm a monster."

"No you're not Nails!" said Rainbow Dash comforting him. "You are not a monster! You just lived in a different setting! You haven't adjusted yet!"

Nails sniveled before speaking to the rest of the group. "It's time I told you everything. After seeing that you all need to hear my story."

The ponies sat around a fire. Nails had told them to get a fire started before he started because the story would take him a while. When they had all settled down he began.

"The first thing you need to know about me is that my family is not native to Equestria. Just like a few other species live here there are a few pony groups that live in the griffon lands. It's different there though. The griffons care only for bettering themselves and therefore they would constantly raid pony villages for food and supplies. During one such raid a few griffons took a young mare as a slave. They raped her and used her as a whore while they did unspeakable things to her. Soon after that she became pregnant. She had been married before they had taken her so she didn't know if the child was from her husband or her captors. When she finally did have the child it was obvious that it had been from the captors. They continued to use her until finally, she died. That mare was my grandmother. The child she had was my father. When the griffons found the child they instantly took him into slavery. They would make him do anything to humiliate him. One day he had taken enough and he killed one such griffon. Griffons prize war over their own kind so when the chief saw this he was delighted. So much so that he instantly adopted my father as his own. The griffons in the tribe hated this and began to plan a revolt. Words of the revolt reached the chief's ears, but he was an older griffon that had no chance to outrun the younger revolters. Back then guns were rare so usually only the chief would have one. He gave the gun to my father and told him to run and not stop until he was safe. My father took the advice and ran. That night while he slept, the griffons slit the chief's throat and searched everywhere for my father. When they couldn't find him they began searching for him everywhere. By the time they found him he had settled into a pony village and married my mother. At this time she was pregnant with me. The two fled while the griffons pursued. They made it to a harbor when the griffons caught up with them. My father took out the gun the chief had given him and tried to hold off the griffons while my mother boarded a boat for the zebra country. My father was overrun by the time the boat left and they killed him. They did not pursue my mother because they already had their revenge. While she was on the boat there was a big storm that blew the ship off course. The ill-supplied ship began to make its way to Equestria. When it finally landed the ship had expended its last food and water supplies a week before. My mother was the only survivor of the wreck and soon afterwards she gave birth to me. She died shortly after I was born and I would have died two. Then Princess Luna found me. We had been lucky enough that the place where the ship crashed was a very secluded spot in Equestria, secluded enough for Luna to spend her exiles there. Late one night she flew me to Canterlot and gave me to her sister. The two agreed that since I was part griffon I would have war instincts. They immediately placed me into military training as soon as I could think on my own."

"That is a really sad story." said Rainbow Dash, "When you told me the griffons had something to do with you being an orphan I never thought that it was this bad."

"It gets worse." was all Nails could say as he looked down at the ground. "Fast-forward about twenty years. I'm in Special Forces and my team has just gotten word that the last team besides us has gone down. In a desperate attempt at survival we disband our team and swear to secrecy about the state of life of our teammates. Shortly after I had graduated from Special Forces training, Princess Luna gave me a book. I am saddened by what had just happened. Ponies I had worked with and the only ones I could have called friends had come to an agreement that we needed to go on our own. I was in a very vulnerable state. I took out the book and read it. Something I had never done before that day. As soon as I realized what it was, I couldn't stop reading it. It was the story of my life written by my mother in case she had died, I could know what happened. As I read it, I grew angrier and angrier. I began to hate griffons, I did hate griffons. I wanted revenge. Then, while I was reading, I came across a name. Not a ponies name, it was the name of a village. The village my father was from. The village whose people had killed him. I realized that this was my chance, as Special Forces I had access to maps of the entire world. I got out the map for the griffon lands and looked for the village. It was still there. That night, I abandoned all of my orders, all of my fellow soldiers who had trusted me to stay smart, all of my principles. And I set out on a journey that would become the most selfish thing I have ever done."

"What happened Nails?" said Fluttershy who probably didn't even want to hear about it.

Nails was silent for a moment. "I murdered them. All of them. The men, the women, even the children. I didn't show any mercy that day. I killed them all. I even found the one who had killed my father. He was the chief and had kept the gun as a prize. When I found him I tied him up and made him watch as I killed his family. When I was done killing his family I turned to him and started to walk towards him. The whole time, he begged for mercy, he begged forgiveness. I didn't listen. I took him outside and I burned him alive. Making sure that he was dead I cut his head off when the flames died. I took the gun that belonged to my father and searched the village. In his house I found several crates of ammunition. I took those and distributed them across Forshan. Only I know where each is located and how much is left in each. When I had found everything that I wanted, I burned down the village. I thought I killed them all, I thought they were finished. But as I watched the village burn, I saw a shape flying away from me. One of them had survived. It was that one you were just talking to Rainbow Dash. That's why I tried to kill her. My mind went back to that night and I lost all control. I'm sorry for what I've done today. But there isn't any fixing it."

The six ponies looked at him in shock. They had known he hated griffons but not to the point of killing them. They thought his story was over but then he continued.

"I left that village without putting out a single flame. As I walked back to Forshan I saw a griffon high above flying towards the village I had just left. I figured that he had been away and had seen the smoke so he was returning. I decided that this would have been a perfect chance to try out the gun I had taken. I took aim at his head and fired. I missed and hit him in the wing. The griffon didn't have enough strength in his other wing to keep flying but he did have enough to land. I abandoned the gun when I realized that he was going to land really close to me. I took out my knife and waited on him like a wolf waits for a sheep to be alone. As soon as he landed I pounced on him. He was a little disoriented but as soon as he saw me he talked. He said he knew who I was. This griffon was Delta. I told him to prove it and he said we were cousins. I hit him in the mouth and knocked out a few of his teeth and asked him to tell me a reason why I shouldn't have killed him right then. He said because he liked my father. He was about ten years older than me so he had known my father while he had lived there. After that event he and his uncle moved to the griffon capital. When he got older he got a job as a government runner and had been sent to see what had caused the smoke. I told him everything that had happened. He was taken aback of course, who wouldn't be? But then he noticed the gun that was a few feet away. He told me that he recognized it as the gun that the old chief had given my father. I hadn't known that at the time and I at once realized that I needed to learn how to shoot it in memory of my father. He told me that he would teach me how to shoot it and that he would say that it was a gang of criminals that had done the damage. He took the report back to the capital and then left for Forshan where I had left too. That's about it." said Nails as he got up from the ground. "We need to get some sleep; we have a big day tomorrow."


	4. The Beginning of the End

Chapter 3: The Beginning of the End

The way the tents were arranged was Twilight and Rarity were in one. Applejack, who was used to camping with her family, had brought a slightly larger tent so she, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie shared it. The last tent was Nails's and he was sharing with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash couldn't get any sleep that night. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Nails's eyes. That fire and hatred that had burned in them. How she was scared to do anything just by looking into the eyes.

"Nails? Are you awake?"

She got a reply almost immediately. "I was, but I'm a really light sleeper."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you did those things?"

"The same reason that I tried to keep the prophecy from you. I thought I was protecting you; things just keep coming up that prevent me from doing so successfully. There are several more things that I don't want to tell you, and I won't tell you unless it comes up."

Rainbow Dash looked at the ceiling of the tent. Nails was being serious right now and wanted to keep some aspects of his life private. Rainbow Dash respected this and decided to change the subject.

"Why did you bring those cigars?"

Nails was caught off guard by this question. She must have seen them somehow. "Because I made them myself, the day I made them I told myself that I would only use them should the day that the prophecy foretold came. Now that it has, I'm taking them to Forshan so that after I am their prisoner, I can use them."

"What's so special about them?"

"The fact that I made them myself makes them special."

Rainbow Dash turned back over and tried to go back to sleep but the images of the eyes kept coming back to her.

"Is something wrong Rainbow Dash?"

"I keep seeing your eyes, from when you had Gilda at gunpoint. I've never seen so much hatred and anger before."

"I'm sorry for that. When it happened... I couldn't control myself."

"I'm just really scared about how strong Iron Foot is. The rage you showed tonight just proves how strong you are and for you to admit that he is stronger makes him so much scarier."

"You won't have to worry about him. As soon as we make the decision, he will be vulnerable. No doubt that Whiskey will charge to his doorstep with the entire Forshan army behind him to kill that bastard."

"How can you be so sure? Won't that mean that you would have to tell him about the prophecy?"

"Yes and no, I could tell him and save a lot of trouble, or I could tell him to go in as back up should I fail. No doubt he already knows that Iron Foot is back and will be taking steps to find him. He will hand over information to me once we arrive and I will take over the mission. I could then set up a period of time which, if I don't return by then, he would storm the place he was hiding and kill him."

"What if he fails?"

"He won't. Iron Foot has always had the protection of the prophecy guarding him and as soon as that's gone he will be easy to kill."

"That means that you still have a chance! You can still fight him and kill him!"

"You're missing something Rainbow; I had that exact same protection. I would be at a disadvantage since he would know the territory we were fighting in."

"Oh." Rainbow Dash said as tears began to form in her eyes. She didn't want Nails to see so she turned around and tried to hide it. He had obviously noticed as she felt his arm reach around her to comfort her.

"Rainbow Dash, I know you're sad. But to be honest, these aren't even your feelings. The way you feel about me is caused by the prophecy. As soon as its hold is broken you will feel differently about me."

"What if I don't want to feel differently?"

"You won't have a choice. I'm sorry Rainbow, fate is a cruel bitch and there is nothing we can do to stop it."

Rainbow Dash began to sob quietly. She didn't want any of the others to hear her. She felt Nails tighten his hold on her and she began to smile through the tears. She knew that even if it was fake, he cared about her. She fell asleep with Nails's arm still around her.

The next morning Rainbow Dash awoke to still find Nails's arm around her. She tried to get up as gently as possible to avoid disturbing him when she heard him speak.

"It's ok Rainbow, I've been awake for about an hour now."

"Why didn't you move?"

"I didn't want to leave you." he said as he got up and walked out of the tent.

Rainbow Dash got up and realized that along with Applejack, they were the first ones up. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were next. Rainbow Dash figured this much. Both of them had morning chores that forced them to get up early. She was forced to get up before any of them which was why she took so many naps during the day. They had begun dismantling the tents when Twilight and Rarity finally woke up. Nails got to work on breakfast with the eggs that Fluttershy had brought. The group ate them before finally cleaning up the rest of the camp and beginning the three hour trek to Canterlot.

It was about noon when they finally reached Canterlot and they quickly made their way to the castle. As they made their way up the stairs, Twilight couldn't help but notice that at the sight of Nails the two guards began to step away from the door.

"What did you do to them?" asked Twilight.

Instead of answering a huge grin formed on Nails's face as he walked into the castle. The group was unimpeded by guards as they made their way to the throne room. When they finally reached a guard finally stopped them.

"Halt! Who goes there?" said the guard on the left.

"New blood?" said Nails as he looked towards the other guard.

The other guard simply nodded and Nails turned his attention back to the one that had spoken. "Listen here; her highness Celestia may pay your bills, but so help me if you don't let me through, you can expect your next bill to say HOSPITAL at the top. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The guard was taken back and turned to his partner for advice. His partner was violently shaking his head as if to say "Don't mess with this guy."

The guard took the advice and let Nails through. As soon as they were inside Princess Celestia looked up.

"Can everyone please leave us to talk." every single guard began to walk out of the room keeping a wide gap between them and Nails.

"Once again, what did you do?" asked Twilight.

"I'm glad that all of you are here." said Princess Celestia as she walked towards them. "I have some very grave news. A few days ago we were taking Iron Foot to Snake Fang Cliff for his execution. Through the help of an unknown unicorn he was able to escape and we believe that he is hiding in Forshan. Princess Luna left to alert Whiskey to the present situation so that he may provide any assistance."

Everypony except for Nails reacted to the knowledge and the group began to talk amongst themselves until Nails spoke.

"I already knew." said Nails who was obviously un-phased by the news.

"How is this Nails?" asked Celestia who seemed just as confused as the others, save for Rainbow Dash but nopony had realized this.

"Because that son of a bitch tried to kill me the other day, right before your messenger reached me."

"Well in that case you must have already realized why you're here."

Nails pulled out his gun and showed it to Celestia before putting it back in his holster.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Celestia, "Tell me where to send you in Forshan and I will transport you there."

"Send us to Sandstone." said Nails.

"Very well then, any particular location?"

"Right onto Whiskey's doorstep." was Nails reply.

"Very well then, good luck Nails." said Celestia as she prepared the spell for casting.

A magical aura surrounded the group as Celestia teleported them. Nails felt the strange sensation and he wasn't prepared for it. He had never travelled magically in his life and he realized in that few seconds of teleporting that he hated it. As soon as the spell stopped he was on the ground.

"What the hell was that?" he asked as they appeared.

"Oops, I guess I should have warned you." said Twilight blushing.

"I am never doing that again." said Nails. "We are walking everywhere!"

"Well you may have to do a lot of walking." said Whiskey as he walked up to his house. "Under normal circumstances I would ask what you were doing here, but these times are far from normal."

"Good to see ya Whiskey." said Nails as he got up.

"I see you brought the elements along with you. Do you believe that they could help you?"

"There wasn't any fighting it." said Nails as he tried to get reacquainted with walking.

"First time teleporting?" Nails simply nodded his head. "Follow me." said Whiskey as he walked into the house.

The group walked through the house while Whiskey talked. "We are aware of the current situation involving Iron Foot and we took immediate action. We have already captured someone that we know is an affiliate with him. However we can't get him to say anything."

"Perfect, I haven't done an interrogation in a while." said Nails as he walked next to Whiskey.

Whiskey grinned, "I thought you might like that." he motioned his head towards the other six, "Have they ever seen you interrogate someone?"

"The closest they ever saw was we ran into a griffon on our way to Canterlot. It was that one that I told you about."

"So they will be new to seeing how convincing you can be." Whiskey chuckled as they walked further into the house.

"Where is he being kept?" Nails asked.

"I'm taking you there now. My house is an old military base. As leader of this country they thought that it would be a good idea to put me here where I can be easily protected. Naturally it had an interrogation room built in."

"Of course." said Nails as they descended down a flight of stairs. The stairs opened up into a large room that was divided by a shorter wall. In between the two sections was a large glass window that could be seen through to reveal a pegasus pony in a room sitting down with a table in front of him. The section that they had just walked into had a table of its own. This one was filled with knives of all kinds and a few blunt objects. Upon seeing this Fluttershy began to speak up.

"I uh, I think I'll go wait outside." she said as she slinked back up the stairs.

"I'll go with her." said Rarity, "I think she may get into some kind of trouble if I don't."

Rarity left the room and went back up the stairs.

Nails chuckled, "They will still probably be able to hear the screams."

"Are you going to hurt him?" asked Twilight.

"Twilight let me put it this way. I'm not leaving that room until he's either crying or dying."


	5. What?

Chapter 4: What?

"Let me give you girls a quick run through." said Whiskey as Nails was over at the weapons table selecting his various tools. "The way this will work is that Nails will go in there and make him answer any questions. Out here, they can't see us because this is a special type of mirror that we can see through but they can't. Everything that is said in there will be heard out here and recorded but it will be impossible to hear anything we say. Got that?" the remaining ponies nodded their heads. They had no idea what was going to happen as Nails walked back up with his choices.

"Let's do this." Nails said as he walked into the room. The ponies took seats so they could see into the room where the interrogation was about to begin.

"Hello, my name is Nails. They asked me to interrogate you but I'm going to make this easy on you. Why are you here?"

"So I was flying around and I get lost right? So a bunch of pegasi stop me and ask me what I was doing in a military zone."

"Get ready." said Whiskey as they listened to the pony talk, "You are about to see a master at work."

"It was all just a big misunderstanding."

A gunshot rang out throughout the room startling everyone including the pegasus that was being interrogated.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Did I break your concentration? Please... continue."

The startled pegasus didn't say anything.

"Oh, so you were finished? Well, allow me to respond to your story with a few questions. Where is Iron Foot?"

"What?"

Nails put his claw under the table and threw it across the room. This startled the pony and he fell onto his back and started to back up as Nails approached.

"Where is Iron Foot?"

"What?"

"I've never been to what! Is it nice this time of year?"

"What?"

"I'm getting the message that you don't really want to talk to me right now. Well, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice. Are you going to give me a straight answer?"

"What? I-"

"Say what again! Say it again! I dare you! I double dare you!"

"What?"

Nails fired the gun and the bullet impacted into the pony's shoulder.

"He's gonna kill that pony if you ain't careful!" exclaimed Applejack.

"No he's not." said Whiskey, "He knows exactly what he's doing."

"Now that you know I mean business, let's get started." at this Nails took hold of the pony and threw him across the room. As soon as they landed Nails was upon them again. He took out a lead pipe and placed it into the pony's mouth.

"Where is Iron Foot?"

"I don't know!" was the muffled answer that Nails got back.

"Wrong answer!" said Nails as he picked up a bat and hit the pony in the back of the head. The pony bit down hard on the pipe and broke off a few teeth. He felt the pain of metal impacting raw gums when Nails hit him with the bat again. This time it was in the face.

"One more time! Where is Iron Foot?"

"I don't know!"

Nails took out a knife and stabbed the pony in the wing. Rainbow Dash winced, knew how much it hurt whenever a wing took a blow having experienced them several times. Nails left the knife in the wing.

"Try again! Where is Iron Foot?"

"I'm not telling you even if I did know!"

"Care to tell me who knows?"

"No!"

Nails took the bat again and hit the pony in the leg breaking it. "I got all day!"

"I won't tell you anything!"

Nails grabbed the pony and threw him into a wall. He then took out another knife and plunged it into the other wing pinning the pony to the wall. He then proceeded to deliver a series of punches with his claw asking questions in between each punch.

"Who knows? Tell me and this can all be over!"

"I'm...never...going...to...tell...you."

"Have it your way." said Nails as he walked out of the room.

Whiskey watched as Nails walked out of the room. "I've never known you to give up! Why are you starting now?"

"The pony said he would never tell me. So I'm going to make that happen."

"He's our only lead!"

"He doesn't know that." Nails walked up to the a closet. "This stuff is flammable right?"

"Yeah, but I don't see why you would need that." said Whiskey as he watched Nails walk back into the room.

"Ok, I believe that you're never going to talk. So I'm gonna give you that chance." Nails said as he dumped some of the stuff he had gotten from the closet onto the pony. He then proceeded to back up until he was on the other side of the room.

"What's he doing?" asked Rainbow Dash as she watched Nails pour the liquid over the pony. "He's gonna burn him alive!"

Whiskey's eyes had widened in delight. "Exactly." was all he said as he watched Nails take out his lighter.

Nails put the lighter to the liquid and it started to burn. It was a very slow burn due to the thickness of it, but a burn nonetheless. The flame slowly made its way towards the pony who was helpless to move since he was pinned to the wall.

The pony watched as the flame started to inch closer and closer. He could already feel its heat as it made its way towards him. He started to glance nervously at Nails and back at the fire.

"Ok! Fine! I'll talk! Just put out the fire!"

"I'd suggest talking fast. Fires are tough to put out but if I like what I hear I promise you won't feel a thing."

The pony glanced at the fire. Before he began to talk.

"I've never seen Iron Foot! The pony I took orders from is a pegasus named Blackmane!"

"Can I get a description of him?"

"Not a him. Her. She's got a black mane and a green coat. Her mane is very long and off to one side! Please stop the fire!"

"You're in luck. I liked what I heard. But I never said anything about putting out the fire. I said you wouldn't feel a thing."

The pony's eyes widened in horror as Nails pulled out his gun again. "No! No! No!" the words were drowned out as the gun fired and the bullet hit him in the head. Brain matter and blood splattered on the wall behind the pony.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight were throwing up and Applejack was doing her best to keep from losing her stomach. Nails opened the door and the smell wafted out catching Applejack by surprise. She succumbed to the sickness and ran over to the trash can that Twilight and Rainbow Dash were sharing so that she could throw up into it. Pinkie Pie hadn't made it there and was losing her stomach onto the floor.

"It's not that bad!" said Nails as he began walking up the stairs. "Now come on! We got a pony to find! Whiskey, I believe that you have a fire to put out."

Whiskey walked into the room and cast a spell that put out the flames.

Twilight was the first to finish so she ran up the stairs after Nails.

"You killed him! You said he wouldn't feel a thing and you killed him!"

"I told the truth. I shot to the head results in instant death. He felt nothing it was quick and painless."

"And disgusting! Why couldn't you let him live?"

"Twilight, are you aware of the punishment for aiding terrorism in Forshan?"

"No, but it can't be that bad!"

"They get hung and it can be felt. Believe me when I say it sucks to be hung. I didn't give him the punishment he did deserve. I showed mercy."

Twilight stopped in her tracks. A while back, Nails had said something about the difference between mercy and respect. He had said that he never showed mercy.

"So, he would have died anyway you just saved him pain?"

"Yes. Now if I am correct we should probably go find Rarity and Fluttershy."

"Yeah, we probably should."

"Twilight?"

"Yes Nails?"

"They will probably ask you what happened. Don't tell them exactly. I don't want them to be scared of me because of how seriously I take my work. My skills are ones that require great control in order for them to be used right."

"Well, I'm going to go tell the ones that watched about what to say to Fluttershy and Rarity. So that nothing slips out."

"Good idea. I'll go find them." said Nails.

Nails found Rarity and Fluttershy in the garden looking at various flowers and exotic animals. He watched them for a little while. They were having fun; in all of this war they were still having fun. He watched them for a while as Fluttershy attempted to make friends with all of the animals. These two were oblivious to what had just happened a few yards below them, and even more so to the future which Nails knew so clearly. He finally walked up to them.

They noticed him coming and Rarity was the first to talk to him.

"Hello Nails! How did the interrogation go?"

"It went very well. Even though we couldn't get Iron Foots location we were able to get a lead on a contact of his. We don't know where they are but I'm certain we could find some kind of file on them here."

"That's great. We could be back in Equestria in a matter of weeks, maybe days if we are lucky!"

"Ya, we could." said Nails nervously.

"Is something wrong Nails?" asked Fluttershy.

"Nothing, it's just that I realized that you probably don't know how long it can take to track down a file."

"Nonsense! It can't take that long can it?"

The group of seven ponies plus Whiskey looked into the room. There were filing cabinets along all of the walls each one filled to the brim with files. Some drawers were stuck open from the mass of files on the inside.

"I spoke too soon." said Rarity.

"Twilight, since you're a librarian you should be a big help in the search. How do you usually find books?" asked Nails.

Twilight looked over at Rainbow Dash who winked back and left the room.

Nails noticed this, "Where is she going?"

"Hold on." was all Twilight said back.

"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

A rainbow colored blur streaked into the room and crashed into the filing cabinets throwing files everywhere. Nails poked his head out of the mass of files that had fallen on top of him.

"What the hell did that accomplish?"

"Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie Pie poked her head out of the files with one in her mouth which she tossed to Nails. Nails opened the file and his eyes widened.

"Son of a bitch! How the hell did you do that!"

"We still don't know how she does that." Applejack said, "With Pinkie Pie it's one of those weird unexplainable things that you just have to accept."

"Ok then." Nails started to read the file, "It says here that she was last seen in the middle of the Salt Flats."

"Salt Flats?" asked Rarity.

"There used to be a few bodies of salt water here in Forshan. When those dried up the salt was left behind leaving large flat areas of salt. These are usually extremely difficult to live in due to lack of water. It would be the perfect place to hide!"

"Exactly, it also says that she was seen transporting several weapon crates into her base of operations. No arrest was attempted because not enough evidence could be gathered to incriminate her. Well, we got enough evidence now."

"Ok, how do you want to handle this Nails?" asked Whiskey.

"I've been to the salt flats, you can see a fly a mile away. Surely if we walked there we would be detected and they would leave. If we teleport there, there's no guarantee that we would get the location perfect and we would still be detected."

"What are you saying?"

"We can't go from the outside in, and from the inside out is definitely not in the question. That leaves only on direction to make the approach from."

"I know what you're thinking Nails and I will tell you know that we don't have the soldiers to do that!"

"You don't, but I know who does." said Nails starting to grin.


	6. The March of the Griffons

Chapter 5: March of the Griffons

"Are you Crazy?" said Twilight as the seven ponies waited for the new arrival. "I mean, asking for Delta was fine but to ask for an entire Special Forces team? You're just asking for trouble!"

"I've been asking for trouble for a long time, besides, a Special Forces team is anywhere from six to twelve members. There won't be too many bad vibes going around."

"So, just what do you plan to accomplish Nails?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Blackmane is in a very secluded area of Forshan, there is no way we could march up to their door without detection. I'm calling upon griffon help because they can fly and flying can get you places. From what I understand the team we are getting won't do anything that Delta doesn't tell them too, and I can control myself around griffons that I have never met. Let's just hope that I've never met any of them."

"You seem to be placing your trust in a supernatural force to keep you safe." said Rarity.

"More than you know." thought Nails as he spotted something in the distance. "There, it's the griffons."

Nails watched as Delta directed his team to land in front of the group. Nails looked at what Delta had brought. He saw a few with rifles, a gun he had seen used before, and one had a longer rifle with a telescope attached to the top of it. He had never seen something like it.

"What is that?" asked Nails as he pointed at the rifle.

"It's a sniper rifle." said the griffon holding it. "It's only the best gun in the world, there is nothing like killing someone from a mile away. I heard that you only carry a .45 revolver. A gun like that is too outdated to be useful."

"Careful Eagle Eye." said Delta, "You're talking about a gun I use and a gun that he could beat anyone with."

"I'd be willing to put that theory to the test." said the griffon that Delta called Eagle Eye.

"That's Eagle Eye, he's our team's sniper. He's a very talented marksman and has won several awards and commendations. That's how he got put into my Special Forces team."

"There isn't a soul in the world that can beat me with a gun."

"I can see that he's arrogant as well. Hold this." said Nails as he tossed his revolver to Eagle Eye.

Eagle Eye caught it and looked at Nails weird.

"Let me see you shoot those cans over there. Use as few bullets as you possibly can."

Eagle Eye looked over where Nails had indicated. There were five cans set up in a row on a low wall with a piece of plywood tied by a rope to the wall. Eagle Eye took aim at each can and fired. Each can fell with each shot. He shot the fifth can and turned to Nails smiling in victory.

"You're going to have to do better than that to beat me."

"I know. Set them up again."

Delta walked over to the wall and set the cans up again. When he came back, Nails began to talk.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, school is now in session welcome to Shooting 101. Lesson one, experience makes up in skill more than any gun. Lesson two; it's the man that makes the gun, not the other way around. Lesson three." said Nails as he drew his gun and took aim, "Always check your surroundings. Lesson four," Nails fired the gun. The bullet cut through the rope holding the plywood and it swung down knocking off all of the cans. "There's more than one way to skin a cat. Class dismissed." said Nails as he holstered his gun and smiled. Eagle Eye just sat there with wide eyes.

"I told you he was good." said Delta as he walked over to Nails. "So, why did you call me?"

"I have a problem. You know about the salt flats right?"

"Yes."

"Well, we have a target that is hiding in them. We can't attack from the ground since they would see us coming and the air is our only option. I need your team to infiltrate and capture the target. I already did an interrogation today so you can have fun with them once you capture them. They know where Iron Foot is located so keep that in mind."

"Aren't you going to go with us? Or are you scared?" said Eagle Eye.

"Is he the only one that talks?" asked Nails.

"The others haven't decided if they want to say anything since they know what happens when a griffon gets on your bad side."

"So they do." said Nails as he looked over the rest of them. "I promise I won't hurt any of you."

"Nails, I know you're trying to make friends but I really need to see what we're dealing with." said Delta.

"Ok then, follow me."

Nails led them to a room where a map had been laid out onto a table. He began to point out several features of the base they were dealing with. It was an old military base so its plans had been found easily. Nails spent several hours pointing out different areas that he believed would have been changed to improve security until he finally pointed out the most likely place that they would find Blackmane.

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought. Are you sure you don't want to participate?" asked Eagle Eye.

"Like I already said, ground troops are very easily seen in the flats and I would ruin the element of surprise. I hate doing it but its better this way."

"Besides, he's got a mare friend."

"Ohhhhhohoho!" was the response from all of the griffons.

"You guys are assholes."

"Aww, come on Nails!" said Delta, "Just having a little fun! I got to ask though, have you tapped that yet?"

"Shut the hell up you bastard."

"Nope, he's still a virgin."

"You know why I would never do anything like that!"

"Why? Because you're a little small?" said Eagle Eye which resulted in laughter from everyone except Delta.

"No, because there was once a mare that got raped and abused and taken advantage of by a village of griffons. And now that village is wiped off of the map because of how they treated my grandmother."

The griffons fell silent after that.

"Now, does anyone else want to make a joke? Anyone? No? Good. You should leave for the base tonight. The darkness should cover you until you're right on top of them. Those rifles will be useful in avoiding casualties, just watch out for crossbows. I've seen the arrows they use in those things and I would hate to be hit by one. Any questions?"

One hand went up.

"That don't have to do with me."

The hand went right back down again.

"Good. Well men, I wish you luck on your mission. Delta I would like to have a private word with you."

The griffon team except for Delta all left the room.

"I hate this prophecy." said Nails as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Don't blame me! I don't know when it was made or who made it."

"That's not what I meant. I realize that I can't change past, but I hate that the future is out of the question as well."

"Have you told any of them yet?"

"Only Rainbow Dash and I think she may be on the verge of telling someone else. I can only hope that she chooses the right person to tell."

"Nails, I have never known you to give up on a fight. Why are you doing so now? I could give you something to kill him with and you wouldn't have to die!"

"I'm sorry Delta, but this is my battle and you can't help me. I realize that I'm going to die."

"But, can't you do anything about it? Your country needs you!"

"You're right, my country does need me. Too bad they need me to die."

"Nails, it isn't like you to talk like this. Something's up."

"There's nothing wrong!" snapped Nails before he realized what he was doing.

"What is it?"

"I really do love her." said Nails, "I know it's not the prophecy making me like her, because I really do love her. The day that we got together, I made her a locket. It was beautiful; I melted a few gold coins and made it out of pure gold. I know that it wasn't the prophecy that made me do that. I guess it wasn't actually forced by the prophecy for either of us. What if the prophecy was just talking about something that would have happened anyway and I just blamed the prophecy for everything that did happen."

"I think you're right." said Delta, "Maybe, not everything in the prophecy is steadfast, and doesn't the prophecy say that Rainbow Dash would have to make a choice? It just said Equestria would suffer! Maybe that means only one pony dies!"

"But then that's one pony on my conscience for the rest of my life. Besides, I know exactly what would happen."

"What?"

"You are aware that the elements of harmony would go with us."

"So?"

"It just says that Equestria would suffer, not that it would suffer at the hands of the enemy. Surely what would happen is he would kill the elements of Harmony and keep them in Forshan."

"How would Equestria suffer?"

"For the rest of its days without the elements of harmony. They are for keeping the world balanced. I heard that the last time they were needed, there was some strange shit going on."

"Like what?"

"I heard from them that buildings were flying around, day and night each lasted a few seconds, they had cotton candy clouds and chocolate milk rain. Really strange stuff."

"So then, Celestia couldn't do anything about it?"

"No, she had to ask the elements to do it and without them Equestria would just become a mad house. The elements are passed down through generations, and so far none of them have any kids."

"If you hurry, you could change that." said Delta with a joking tune.

"Shut up. You should go talk to your team. I expect a full report on the mission when you get back."

"Fine, besides." said Delta as he turned to leave, "Resting in peace is the greatest reward a soldier can ever have."

Nails just sat in the room alone for a few minutes after Delta had left. He thought about what Delta had told him. It was an old griffon proverb that he had never really thought about until then. He started to think until he realized what it meant. It didn't talk about dying as the greatest reward, but that the greatest reward was finishing your job and going to rest one last time with a smile on your face. Nails decided then got up and left the room. He had to get ready. The beginning of the end was fast approaching.


	7. A Walk to Remember

Chapter 6: A Walk to Remember

Things around Sandstone had been peaceful for the past few days. Ever since Delta's team had returned with Blackmane, Nails had been taking a break waiting for the torturers to break Blackmane and discover where Iron Foot was hiding. He hated this time because it would be the last time he would spend with his friends. He tried to make use of every moment of it but since only Rainbow Dash knew the ending, she was the only one to really jump at the occasions. He realized that as soon as they cracked Blackmane he would be on his way to wherever their enemy wanted them to go to. He realized that he had to try and hide his fate from Twilight and the others but fate had just made it so damn hard. Today he decided that if he didn't vent in some way he would let something loose so he decided to try some shooting with his gun. He set up various targets and started to shoot at them. At first, he was slow, taking aim and making sure his target was in the sights before pulling the trigger. But the longer he stayed out there shooting, the faster he began to shoot. He went faster and faster until he suddenly stopped in disbelief. He had just fired off all six of the shots in his chamber in 2.5 seconds. This was an extremely quick rate of fire for his double action revolver and he began to remember the first pony he ever killed with the gun.

The journey with Delta had been long and hard. It had taken them weeks, but they had finally found the griffon they were after. All those hours of training with Delta on gun use had come down to this very moment as his foe stood on the other end of the street. The world seemed to move in slow motion as Nails took in a deep breath while Delta was off to the side watching. The clock tower in the middle of the town struck noon, one bell… two… three… all the way to twelve. As soon as the twelfth bell faded the griffon and Nails drew their guns almost simultaneously. The gunshots echoed throughout the town before the griffon began to falter before collapsing to the ground.

"Nails?" said a voice from behind him. He turned around to see Whiskey and Rainbow Dash standing there. He looked at Rainbow Dash whose ears were drooping and instantly knew what had happened. Rainbow Dash had spilled the beans.

"How much do you know?"

"Everything." was all Whiskey said back.

"I'm so sorry Nails. I just couldn't stand to see you sad like you were. So I thought it would be ok if I told Whiskey."

"It's ok Rainbow, he deserves to know. Besides I was going to probably tell him anyway. Let's go for a walk."

The three ponies started to walk out of the city. When they had left the city gates Nails began the conversation.

"So, what do you think of it?"

"I must tell you the truth, I've had my fair share of experience with prophecies and I know what you're going through."

"You do realize how unlikely my survival is right?"

"I do. As strong as a fighter you are, Iron Foot was trained in this environment under harsher instruction. He could probably best you."

"Do you remember when we met Whiskey?"

"Of course I do, I was one of your targets. You found me and tried to kill me but your gun wouldn't fire properly and when you reached for a knife you didn't have any."

"The prophecy about you made all of those things happen."

"Wait! There was a prophecy about Whiskey? Just how many prophecies are there?"

"You would truly be surprised at the quantity of prophecies that exist. Most of them are trivial things such as when a peace treaty will be signed or maybe even a species going extinct. Few have implications such as mine or Whiskey's did, ours were special. The prophecy pertaining to him was about him coming into power over Forshan. Mine just so happens to be a little bit more grim."

"So, has a prophecy ever been broken? Could you still have a chance?"

"I believe that there was one instance where a prophecy was broken but I would prefer to not go down that path."

"Why not? If you could survive why not?"

"Because a prophecy is an extremely powerful piece of magic. So powerful that only dark magic can break its hold, but not just any dark magic. I believe you are aware that bonds that ponies form can be one of the strongest magics in the world."

"What do you mean?"

"You're an element of Harmony! Surely you have used your powers and seen that they don't work unless everyone if friendly."

"Well, ya. I guess you're right."

"Well, anyway. It requires very dark magic with power that only friendship could contain. It requires the willing sacrificing of a friend. That and that alone is what can stop a prophecy from coming true. I believe that the one instance when this happened was because an entire country was at risk to the hands of another. I would hate to sacrifice any of my friends, so instead I'm going to follow through with the prophecy and sacrifice myself."

"Oh, well, it was worth a shot to ask." said Rainbow Dash her ears drooping again.

Nails put his arm around her to comfort her. This was a tough time for both of them. They both knew what the future would probably be like and they both hated it.

"Nails, if I might ask, when do you think I should send someone in to kill Iron Foot. I realize that Equestria will be at peace forever, but I won't rest until that son of a bitch is dead. I don't want to risk sending someone in too early and I don't want to be too late."

"I would say a week is when he would be least expecting it. He would expect it right after I give myself up. If you wait a little longer he would lower his defenses and thus make it more likely to be killed." said Nails.

"Ok, I'll probably send in Delta and his team."

"I trust them to get the job done. Have you seen that sniper? He can almost shoot close to my skill at close range with that rifle of his. I expect a little more training and he could handle a pistol as well as me."

"You're really humbling yourself aren't you?" said Whiskey.

"Not really, I just know what to look for in a shooter. But to be honest, the only difference between me and him is that I have experience."

"Nails, I've known you for years and there are two traits that you have. You rarely compliment a rival, and you always have a plan. What's wrong?"

"Well, you're right; I don't compliment rivals, but who's to say I don't have a plan? A plan doesn't have to be liked. It just has to get the job done. Nopony likes this plan, but that doesn't matter because it's going to work."

"I'm sorry; I'm just scared of what will happen to Equestria without you."

"It will finally be a war free country. That is, if you don't mess that up."

"I'll try not to."

"Rainbow Dash? You've been really quiet this whole time. I would really feel better if you were to say something." said Nails

"I just don't know what to say Nails." responded Rainbow Dash.

"That's a good start, maybe we should talk about what you're going to do after you get that cast off."

"Well, I was planning on starting my own flight team, since the wonderbolts are dead, but... with you gone I don't think I could go through with it."

"Rainbow Dash, I want you to be happy when I'm gone. I don't want you to come to the end of your life and experience the same thoughts that anyone else might."

"What do you mean?"

"All the old clichés, I wish I had done that, why didn't I try out for that team, why didn't I try to be friendlier. I want you to be like a soldier."

"How? I can't join the army!"

"That's not what I meant. Do you know what the motto for the Black Stallions is?"

"No. I don't think so. Could you tell me?"

"Sure." replied Nails. "Most ponies live their life wondering if they've made a difference. We don't have that problem."

"I think I understand you know."

"Rainbow, I know that this will be one of the toughest times of your life, but you are the toughest pony I know. If anypony can pull through, I would pick you above any others. I don't want you to live the rest of your life crying. I want you to enjoy the time you get and not waste away. It's important that you follow through with your dream to fly higher and faster. I just want you to know that I will be with you every step of the way, even if you can't see me."

"Thanks Nails." said Rainbow Dash as she started to cry. She felt Nails claw as it wiped away her tears.

"We should probably get back to the town. Everypony is going to wonder where we went."

"Ok." said Rainbow Dash.

The trio of ponies walked through the desert back to Sandstone as they talked the whole way. Every now and then, Rainbow Dash would start to cry. Every time she did, Nails would stop and comfort her until she stopped. They finally reached the town when the sun had begun to set. They made their way to Whiskey's palace as the street began to die down and everything was quiet. This time it was Nails who stopped.

"Nails? What's wrong?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Nothing." was his reply, "It's just that, I've never known peace. I've been at war my whole life. Sometimes, it's just good to be reminded what I'm fighting for. This peace, this serenity, this calm... I hope that you get to enjoy it for the rest of your life."

"I wish that you could too."

"Well, I'm just glad that I can know what it feels like to be cared about by some pony."

"Nails, there are tons of ponies who care about you, you just don't know it."

"I guess you're right. We should probably get back now. Rainbow Dash, I want you to remember the times we had together. No matter what, don't let me become just another statistic in a book."

"I won't."

The three ponies finally made it to the palace as the moon shone over the city. As soon as they walked in they were greeted by Delta who was alone in the main room.

"Nails, I've got news. It's Iron Foot, we know where he is."


	8. The End of the Road

Chapter 7: The End of the Road

Nails looked over his bag. He had packed his gun, knife, bullets, map, lighter, and the last cigars he owned. These cigars were the ones he had made himself. He had been saving them for this time and soon, he was going to use them.

"Nails?" came a voice from behind. He turned around and saw Rainbow Dash. She came in and shut the door behind her. They didn't say anything. Nails walked up to Rainbow Dash and hugged her. They both knew what was about to happen, and what lay ahead for Rainbow Dash. The choice she would have to make.

"You're going to be fine." said Nails while he held Rainbow Dash.

"I know I am, but you're not!" whispered Rainbow Dash as she started to cry.

Nails continued to hold her. Blackmane had said that Iron Foot was holed up in an old abandoned military prison. She said he had very few guards but was well protected by walls surrounding the prison. Nails hadn't told this to anyone except Rainbow Dash or Delta, but his plan was to just walk up and knock on the front door. Delta would be going with them to the base, but his team would stay behind and wait for him to return. It had been agreed that they would walk the whole way in order to make a "plan" as they went. Nails however was steadfast on his idea of "accidentally" getting caught. He hoped that he could keep the secret of the prophecy from his friends.

"Here" said Rainbow Dash as she stepped back. She took off the locket that Nails had made for her. "Take this; you can have a piece of me with you when you do die."

Nails could tell that it really hurt Rainbow Dash to even say that word. He didn't argue with her though, he took the locket and put it into his saddlebags. He wrapped his arms around Rainbow in another hug and began to cry himself. A knock came at the door.

"Nails! Are you ready?"

"Just a few more things Twilight!" responded Nails. He looked back at Rainbow Dash. "Remember what I told you, I want you to live the life you should, not the life you could have lived."

Rainbow Dash understood what he meant. She wiped the tears from her face and walked to the door. It was time for them to go.

Nails walked out of the palace to see the elements of Harmony and Delta waiting for him. Applejack was talking to Rainbow Dash.

"Where's that locket ah yours Rainbow?"

"Well, I uhh,"

"She left it here." said Nails trying to avoid suspicion, "she thought that it would be safer here so she left it."

"Well, alright then." said Applejack, "You ready to go kill Iron Foot?" she giggled having never expected those words to come out of her mouth.

"Yeah, I am." responded Nails.

The group left towards the west. It was a two days walk to where Iron Foot was located. Nails dropped to the back and motioned for Delta to do the same. When Delta reached him he began to talk.

"After one week, Whiskey is going to tell you to come kill Iron Foot. I want you to fly in first, to lead the charge. I want you to be the one that confirms the kill. Got it?"

"I understand." said Delta as they continued to walk, "Do you think the others will find out about the prophecy?"

"The only problem we might have is Rainbow and if she does talk we let it happen. They can't do anything too stupid with the prophecy about to be fulfilled. Unless that happens, we play along as if nothing is going on."

"Hey! Aren't you two the soldiers here? Why are you lagging behind?" shouted Twilight playfully and jokingly.

"Is that a challenge?" said Nails as he burst into a sprint that put him at the head of the group. They walked long into the night until they finally set up camp.

The next morning Delta and Nails were the first ones awake. Delta flew high into the air and Nails watched. Rainbow Dash walked out of her tent and stood next to Nails watching Delta.

"What's he doing?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"He's trying to spot the prison so we know how much further we have to walk." said Nails as Delta descended.

"It looks like we would have to walk about five hours to reach the prison. Are you ready Nails?"

Nails looked at Rainbow Dash before speaking, "I've stared Death in the face several times before. Each time, I escaped. Sometimes with a wound, sometimes unscratched. Today, Death has brought a bigger gun. Time to accept my fate."

Rainbow Dash couldn't stop it. Tears started to form and before she knew it she was crying into Nails' shoulder. The noise woke up several of the others and they all walked out of their tents.

"What's going on?" asked Twilight.

"Why is she crying?" asked Fluttershy "Did something happen to her? Is she hurt?"

"Not physically, she's hurt mentally."

"Nails." Delta said.

"I know what I'm doing." Nails snapped at Delta.

"What are you talking about?" asked Rarity.

Nails looked out at the desert. His eyes looked over it and he took in its beauty, its... peace.

"I'm going to die."

"What?" was the response from the five confused ponies.

"So, I guess now we tell them?" asked Delta.

Nails simply nodded before he started to talk again. "For years, me and Delta have known about a prophecy. A prophecy about Equestria coming to eternal peace with Forshan and never being opposed again. This harmony, however, comes at a price. A price that all soldiers must be willing to pay. Today, my life is the exact change."

"No, there has to be another way." responded Twilight.

"There isn't another way. When we get to the prison, all we have to do is walk up to the door and knock. Iron Foot knows about the prophecy, and he will let it unfold. Rainbow Dash here will have to make a choice; she will have to hand me over to Iron Foot to be killed in order that Equestria could be at peace."

"There has got to be something we can do to stop this." said Twilight.

"There isn't anything you can do! It's done, over! All you can do now is sit back and watch."

"But!"

"I'll prove there's nothing you can do!" said Nails as he pulled out his gun and pointed it directly at Rainbow Dash.

"What are you doing?" yelled Applejack.

"This." said Nails as he pulled back the hammer and then the trigger.

*Click*

Nails repeated this five more times until the cylinder had made a full rotation.

"Now." he said pointing the gun out towards empty space he fired the gun six times, and without flaw, six bullets flew out of the barrel into the air.

Nails looked back to see several stunned faces. "You see? You can't mess with a prophecy. Strange shit happens." he said as he reloaded his gun. He then holstered it. "Get this place packed up, it's time we left."

Rainbow Dash stayed close to Nails the whole time. He didn't say anything though, nopony did. Her friends stood in the back in disbelief and Delta just flew overhead. One hour passed, then another, then another. What had been a conversation filled trip had quickly become a silent walk, similar to a funeral procession, and Rainbow Dash hated that. She couldn't stand the silence, and at a few times she tried to strike up a conversation. Each time went ignored until they reached the top of a hill. About three hundred yards in front of them was a prison. Nails stopped at the top of the hill and took out his gun. He fired a shot at the prison and a pony fell out of a tower. Rainbow hadn't even seen them.

"Iron Foot!" yelled out Nails as he reloaded his gun, "I'm here! Get your ass out here so we can get this over with!"

"So you finally did make it!" returned Iron Foot as he walked out of the door, "My men will stand down until we are done here! You know how the prophecy goes and your friends can leave in peace if they make the right decision!"

Nails began to walk towards Iron Foot. Rainbow Dash and the others slowly began to follow him. He approached Iron Foot and when he was a few yards away he stopped.

"I assume that they all know what is about to happen?"

"More or less, we both know where this is going and I feel like I have made my choice clear to them."

"But, it's not your choice that matters is it?" said Iron Foot as he turned to look at Rainbow Dash, "You know what is about to happen and I assume you know the consequences of either choice. What do you say Rainbow Dash? Shall Talon stay here? Or will Equestria suffer?"

Tears began to form in Rainbow Dash's eyes. She looked towards the ground, "I..." she felt a hoof around her and saw Nails looking at her.

"Rainbow Dash, I need you to make the right decision here. I'm fine with it."

"But I'm not." she whispered back, "I love you."

"I love you two, but sometimes love means letting go."

"How would you know that? You've never been in love before me."

"It's what my dad did. He let go of my mother and held off the griffons when they killed him."

"I'm waiting for your decision!" said Iron Foot.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll always be there." replied Nails.

"I've made my decision." Rainbow Dash spoke up, "I... I have decided that you can take him."

"Excellent." replied Iron Foot as he turned to Nails, "Do you want anything?"

"Just two things, my lighter, and my cigars."

"Anything else?"

"No, you can have my gun."

"Even better." said Iron Foot as he turned to the others, "Well, you better be leaving now. I see any of you before the day is over and you can be certain that Talon's death will be painful."

"We better go." said Delta as he started walking away. Rainbow Dash stayed behind for a little bit.

"Good-bye Nails." she whispered as the door to the prison shut behind Nails. She could have sworn she heard him say good-bye back as she turned to leave, but it had just been the wind as it blew across the desert. As she began to walk she could almost recall the motto that Nails had told her when they had been walking with Whiskey.

She could hear his voice as she recalled it, "Some ponies live most of their life wondering if they've made a difference. We don't have that problem."

"I promise to you Nails. I'll never quit, I'll live the life I was always meant to live, and even more. I'll live it for you and do everything I can to make it the best it can be. I'll always remember you Nails. I won't have that problem."

Nails watched from a window as Rainbow Dash ran off. He saw tears in her eyes from this distance and even felt tears form in his own eyes. He then grew angry; while Iron Foot had gone through his things he had tossed the locket away and had put his gun at the end of the hall on a table. He looked through the bars of his cell as Iron Foot took out the cigars.

"Well, that should just about do it." he said as he threw the cigars into the cell. "What's so important about these cigars anyway?"

"I always planned on these cigars being the last ones I ever used." responded Nails.

"Well Talon," said Iron Foot as he walked away, "Have fun waiting for death."

"Don't worry about me." Nails muttered under his breath, "You'll be dead in at least one week."


	9. One Week Later

Chapter 8: One Week Later

Whiskey sat behind his desk with his face on the top of it. It had been one week since Nails had fallen to the enemy and he had sent in Delta and his team to kill Iron Foot; it had been earlier this morning when they had been deployed for the quick strike mission.

"Whiskey."

Whiskey looked up from his desk to see Delta.

"Yes?"

"At 1000 hours we confirmed the kill of Iron Foot leader of the terrorist organization."

"That's good news; I have a letter to write to the elements of Harmony. They would want to hear about this. Did you get what I asked you to get?"

"Yes, we found the body of Nails."

"Can I see it?"

"Yes you can, right this way."

Dear Elements of Harmony,

I am pleased to inform you that Delta and his team were successful in their mission to kill Iron Foot. The body was burned and lists of his contacts and bases scattered throughout Forshan will soon be tracked down and all terrorist threats will be eliminated. I realize how much you all sacrificed and I believe though it cannot make up for the pain you have experienced that you deserve all of it. The box that came with this letter will contain the compensation along with the second part of the letter directing the gifts.

"With great Sincerity, Whiskey." said Twilight as she set the letter down.

Things had been very different ever since they had returned from Forshan without Nails. Twilight had canceled the construction that was being performed on Nails' old house. She had decided that they would leave it there. Delta had been told to get Nails' tags so they could give them to princess Celestia. They had neglected to tell anyone about what had happened so far, including Big Macintosh who they thought would soon catch on. Delta had just arrived with the letter.

Because Whiskey had no access to a dragon to send the message through Spike, Delta had come to deliver it. He took out a box and handed it to Twilight. Twilight opened the box and took out the letter before starting to read again.

"I understand that in Ponyville, each of you play an important role. In order to aid you in your jobs, I am enclosing books for all of you considering that I am currently rebuilding the country and have nothing else to give you. To Twilight, I am giving a book on exotic spells. I believe that you happen to be a gifted unicorn and I believe you will find uses for all of these spells but I warn you that some may not be safe for use." Twilight took out a book and noted its size. It would take her a week or two to get all the way through it. She set it aside and started again.

"To Applejack, I understand that as a farmer you face problems with time limits on harvesting. I found a book that includes methods used by farmers worldwide that have been known to double harvesting speeds."

Twilight removed another book from box and handed it to Applejack who set it aside to keep listening.

"To Rarity, I understand that she is a dressmaker and thus looks for inspiration everywhere. I am going to open up a new area for her to find it. I am giving to her a book that shows how to color fabrics so that they can look exactly like the world around them. As I understand it camouflaging fabrics can be very catchy in a country and may catch on quicker than you expect them too." Twilight removed another book and handed it to Rarity who did a quick flip through and they saw her eyes widen in delight at a few things she saw. Everypony knew she was itching to get back to her shop and try a few but she stayed back to listen to the rest.

"To Pinkie Pie, I understand that she is a cook in Ponyville. At first I did not understand what she made until I did a little research. I found several cases in other countries where strange combinations were found to be quite tasty. I hope that she finds help in this book which I made of several recipes that I was able to find."

Twilight took out yet another book from the box and handed it to Pinkie Pie who had been sitting remarkably still for the amount of time that had elapsed. She set it aside but her eyes darted towards it several times.

"Pinkie Pie? Why don't you make us something to eat? I know you really want to try some of those recipes. You can use my kitchen."

"Ok Twilight." said Pinkie Pie who picked up the book and headed into the kitchen.

As soon as she got in she felt her whole body shudder. It was her Pinkie sense telling her something. She ignored it however; it would be rude to interrupt what was going on in there.

"To Fluttershy, I give her a book about various species of exotic nations. I believe that from what Nails told me about her-" Twilight noticed Rainbow Dash wince a little at the mention of Nails' name. "She is an expert with any kind of animal, so her gift is more of a little foreign knowledge and entertainment." finished Twilight as she took the last book out of the box. She noticed however that there was a small box still inside. She removed this before continuing with the letter.

"Finally, to Rainbow Dash. I realize that throughout this entire struggle she gained much from it, but lost even more. I wanted her gift to be a little more important to her so when Delta's team went to kill Iron Foot, I asked them to try and locate the locket that had belonged to her. I understand that even though the prophecy brought them together. They could have never been torn apart even with the prophecy being fulfilled. They informed me that they were successful in locating the locket and I have placed it into a box. I hope that when she holds it she can see the light in all of this darkness. I know for a fact that Nails was proud of her. I hope that one day we can see each other again. Good-bye for now."

Twilight was beginning to tear up as she finished the letter. She looked over at Rainbow Dash who had started to cry earlier. She took out the small box and gave it to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash just held it for a few seconds as she kept crying. She finally opened it up to see the locket that Nails had made for her what seemed like so long ago. She began to cry even more; even Pinkie Pie had poked her head into the room to see what was wrong. As soon as she saw the locket she understood and went back into the kitchen. She too was extremely saddened by the death of Nails. She felt her entire body shudder once more as her Pinkie sense went off.

"What is going on?" she said to herself as she went back to making food.

Rainbow Dash was still crying as she was comforted by her friends. She looked at the locket and began to stop. Something white was poking out of the opening. Perhaps Nails had left her a message. She slowly opened the locket and took out a piece of paper that had been stuffed into the locket. She unfolded it and read what it said out loud through her tears.

"To fallen soldiers let us sing, where no rockets fly nor bullets wing, our broken brothers let us bring to the mansions of the Lord. No more weeping, no more fight, no friends bleeding through the night, just divine embrace, eternal light, in the mansions of the Lord." At this point Rainbow Dash started to sob and couldn't read any more. She put down the paper and started to cry.

"Where no mothers cry and no children weep, we shall stand and guard though the angels sleep, oh through the ages let us keep, the mansions of the Lord."

Rainbow Dash looked up.

Standing in the doorway was Nails.

"It's an old griffon song."

Rainbow Dash tried to fly towards him but her wings were still in a cast so she hit the ground. She started to sprint towards him and jumped on him giving him a hug.

"Nails!" she yelled out as she hugged him, "I thought you were dead!"

"Well, I can assure you that I'm not, I fought back. I was able to find that advantage he could never have."

"What was it?"

"The fact that I'm part griffon." said Nails as he got back up.

"What happened?" said Pinkie Pie as she poked her head out from the kitchen. As soon as she saw Nails she gasped and flew towards him.

"Once again, how the hell do you do that Pinkie?" said Nails as he was tackled by Pinkie Pie. It didn't take long before the rest of the ponies had begun to hug Nails.

They noticed Delta was standing by the door smiling.

"When did you find out?" asked Twilight.

Nails put something into his mouth, but this went ignored.

"I found him this morning sitting outside of a burning base smoking a cigar when we went to try and perform the mission. That's when I found out. The whole time he had been telling us he was going to die? He was just playing us to use our emotions to help him kill Iron Foot!"

Rainbow Dash stared at Delta in shock then turned to Nails and punched him in the mouth.

"How could you use me like that? You lied to me and said you had no chance for survival!"

Nails spit something out of his mouth. Rainbow Dash expected it to be blood but instead she saw a mouth guard on the floor.

"This may be a strange question to ask but are they all accounted for?" said Nails opening his mouth.

"You're good." said Delta.

"How... How did you do that? It's like you knew I was going to punch you!"

"Because I did. That's how I killed Iron Foot. I have never jumped into anything without planning first. I was able to decide exactly where Iron Foot would take me, exactly where he would be, and exactly how he would try to fight me."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew you were going to survive? I thought you were dead a few minutes ago."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you." said Nails, "Because if you had known I was going to survive you might have been too okay with handing me over. If you had been like that, Iron Foot may have killed me then and there. Because you were hesitant and cried a little, he thought that I had given up hope and decided that he would try to torture me before finally killing me. Because everything went perfectly, I was able to set up my plan and kill him."

"Turns out, he had been planning this out for years and decided that it was foolproof only if he didn't tell anyone." said Delta.

"Sometimes the best plan is the one that nobody knows." said Nails.

"How did you escape?" asked Twilight.

"I think you are all entitled to hear the story so I will tell you." said Nails, "But first." he said as he turned to face Rainbow Dash, "I think I owe you an apology." Nails wrapped his arms around Rainbow Dash and the two held each other close. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash."

"Is it just me, or are you getting a little bigger Nails?" said Delta.

"Delta, screw you."

"I think you meant Rainbow Dash and you forgot to say I want to first." said Delta chuckling a little bit.

"Applejack? Please kick him."

"I'm on it!" she said as she reared her legs up and delivered a full force kick to Delta. He was thrown into a wall where he impacted with a lot of force.

"It was worth it." he said getting up.

"Now Nails, tell us what happened!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Ok, here's how I did it."

Quick authors notes!

1. The "Griffon song" is an actual song. It is called "In the Mansions of the Lord" and is from Paramount Picture's "We Were Soldiers". I read the lyrics and decide that it would be perfect for bringing Nails back.


	10. The Battle For Equestria

Chapter 9: Battle for Equestria

Nails sat alone in the cell that they had placed him in. They were planning to execute him in a few minutes and from what he had heard, it wasn't going to be pretty. It had been three days since he had let himself get captured and he was going to put his plan into action. His gun was at the end of the hall that his cell was on and he was certain that it was fully loaded. He looked out at the pony that had been positioned to guard him. He knew exactly how to approach this.

"You know?" said Nails in the direction of the guard, "Even though Iron Foot let me keep these cigars. I don't really think I want them. You look like you smoke; these are some of my favorites. Perhaps you would like to try some?"

"Heh, you're being awfully nice for a pony on death row." said the guard.

"Well, I completed my mission and that's all that matters. I guess that you could say that I'm at peace."

"Well, I do like to smoke. I guess I could try some." said the guard, "But if I see you do something that may be an attempt to get the keys. I won't hesitate to hurt you."

"Agreed." said Nails as he extended his claw out with the cigars in it. The guard raked them into his pocket and then kept one in his hoof.

"Dammit!" said the guard, "I ain't got any matches on me."

"I got a lighter."

"That'll work." said the guard putting the cigar in his mouth and then sticking it through the bars.

"Besides," said Nails as he lit the cigar, "If I was to try and escape from here I wouldn't try to sneak the key away from the guard. No, too much room for error. I would just blow open the door."

"Oh yeah? And how the hell would you do that?"

Nails walked to the back of the cell with his lighter still out. He looked at the inscription 'Just press down to light em up.' he flipped open the lid and put a finger on the gear. He pressed down and the bottom of the lighter popped off revealing a small lever. The guard just stared while Nails smiled.

"Surprise motherfucker."

Nails flipped the lever and the cigars that he had made out of C4 detonated all at once blowing out the lock on the door and instantly killing the guard. Nails had taken cover while brain matter and gore flew all over the room. He quickly sprinted up to the door and gave it a strong buck right on the lock in case the explosion hadn't done its job. The door was launched into the wall on the other side of the room. Nails quickly turned to see two more of the guards sprinting towards him. He picked up a piece of metal that had come loose during the explosion and examined it. One of the ends was sharp and jagged, which was perfect for what he needed to fight these guards. He quickly assumed a defensive position and waited for the first one to reach him.

A few seconds later right as the guard was feet from Nails he collapsed onto his back legs and drove the blunt end of the metal into the ground. The sharp end met its mark in the charging pony's chest and blood flowed onto the floor. He didn't wait to see if he would be able to use his makeshift spear for the other pony. Instead, he used his teeth to pull out the knife of the other pony as it was vaulted over him. He quickly let go of the metal and got the knife to his claw just in time to aim a stab into the throat of the other pony. Nails then went to the end of the hall and got his gun. He didn't check the breach to save time, but he was certain he and six shots and there were seven other guards in the building. He hoped that he would be able to shoot Iron Foot but this didn't look like a possibility. He heard hoof steps on the stone behind him and turned to see another guard charging down the stairs. Nails quickly pulled the hammer and fired a shot all in one fluid motion. The bullet impacted the pony's chest and they hit the ground dead. Nails made his way to the stairs. He needed to move as fast as possible. Iron Foot was no coward but he wasn't dumb either. Nails knew that the more time that Iron Foot had, the more prepared he could get. He wanted to avoid a fight with a prepared Iron Foot.

He quickly charged up the stairs where another guard was already charging with a double bladed sword in their mouth. Nails fired a shot and the bullet hit its mark in the pony's head. He turned around and saw an empty corridor. He quickly sprinted down the corridor where he collided into another guard. They had been much smaller than Nails and had taken the full force of the blow falling backwards dazed. Nails saw this as an opportunity to conserve ammunition so he quickly snapped the pony's neck. As he looked up another guard was charging. Nails fired a shot and hit the pony in the chest. He sprinted down to the end of the hall and right as he turned it an arrow flew right past his head. He looked to see two ponies. One was in front with a double bladed sword and was squatting; the other had a crossbow and was attempting to shoot Nails. The archer had another shot loaded and was ready to shoot. Nails quickly aimed and fired his gun before the second shot got off.

Whether it was supernatural intervention or sheer dumb luck, the bullet cut through a weaker part of the first pony's neck and impacted into the chest of the pony directly behind them. The bullet killed them both and Nails realized that now it was just him and Iron Foot.

Nails charged to the door that hid Iron Foot and kicked it open. When he looked inside, Iron Foot was standing in front of a desk, looking away from him and seemed to be smiling.

"I really love that surveillance system we have here Talon." said Iron Foot as he continued to look away. "It allows me to see everything that goes on in this facility, and thanks to it also having microphones. I can hear everything as well."

Nails didn't wait for him to say anything else. Nails pulled the trigger.

'Click'

"I believe that at this moment you would say. Surprise motherfucker."

"How did you do that?"

"Simple, you would have expected the gun to be fully loaded and you would have tried to either double up a shot or try to kill a few of the guards without it saving one bullet for me. You would have had too much adrenaline in your system to check the breach when you first picked it up. Therefore, you are very predictable."

"I'm predictable? You are the predictable one."

"How so?"

"I knew you would come here. Based on several of my observations I also know there is a knife in the top-right drawer of that desk. I planned for this day."

Iron Foot glanced down at the drawer. He had in fact placed a knife in it.

"How did you know I would come here?"

"Doesn't this place seem a little bit familiar? As I recall, it was where you first killed a pony. There were times when our trail to you grew cold and nopony could find you. I always knew where you would go. My team just didn't believe me. But, isn't that the curious thing about prophecies? They always have to come true on their own time."

"I know for a fact from my scouts that have been observing you since I was caught. That there was one moment, just one, where the prophecy could have been shattered. You had to save her life though; you just had to doom yourself didn't you?"

"I know that you would have let her fall. All you care about is yourself. That's what makes me different from you. You may be a soldier, but I'm a warrior."

Iron Foot had heard enough. He opened the drawer and picked up the knife before lunging at Nails. Nails had been ready and easily dodged it before pulling a knife of his own. Nails slashed at Iron Foot but he had already recovered and blocked it with his own knife. Iron Foot then picked up his front legs and aimed them at Nails' shin. Nails jumped back but dropped his knife in the process. Iron Foot noticed this and took advantage of the situation by doubling his assault. Nails ended up backing out of the room into the hallway where he picked up the dead pony's crossbow and fired a shot. It missed Iron Foot but had done its job of distracting him while Nails picked up the double-bladed sword and took a defensive position. Iron Foot assaulted once more and Nails was able to parry each slash, the speed of each attack was too quick for him to try and land a blow of his own. To a griffon, Iron Foot would have looked very awkward with the blade in his mouth. Nails, however, knew that Iron Foot could see his blows land without need for hand-eye coordination. Nails continued to back up until he reached a set of stairs he hadn't taken yet. Seeing this as an opportunity to regain himself he tried to throw Iron Foot off balance with a strong sweeping blow. Iron Foot caught it with his blade but was backed up from its force. Nails quickly ducked down the stairs and surveyed his surroundings. He appeared to be in a maintenance room with several wires and containers. Hitting one of those with a blade would result in losing the fight so he would have to avoid them. He didn't have time to think of a strategy as Iron Foot made it down the stairs. The fight resumed and Nails found himself being backed up again. He had been right, Iron Foot was definitely the better of the two fighters and if Nails didn't think of something quickly je would surely lose the fight. Suddenly the worst happened. The other end of Nails' sword that he had forgotten about struck a wire. The electricity coursed through his body and blew him back against a wall. He fell over on to his side as the pain ran all through his body. Iron Foot slowly walked up to Nails.

"And so." said Iron Foot as he got to Nails, "The final hope of Equestria has fought his last battle."

Iron Foot went to make the lethal cut to the neck but Nails wasn't done yet. As weak as he was at this moment he found the strength to put a hoof up to Iron Foot's neck trying to keep distance between him and the knife.

"Why do you still fight me? You have lost. You failed Equestria, you failed your princess, you failed the elements of harmony, and you failed that Rainbow Dash."

Hearing Rainbow Dash's name sparked something within Nails. Somehow, his body sent a final rush of adrenaline through his veins. The world seemed to slow down as memories of the time he had spent with Rainbow Dash flowed into his mind. His saw her face in his mind.

"Any last words Talon?" said the face as it morphed back into Iron Foot.

"The name is Nails, Motherfucker!"

With that Nails found all of his remaining strength and used it to thrust his claw into Iron Foot's neck. He felt it cut through vein and artery as blood spilled out onto the floor. Nails kept forcing his claw deeper and deeper until he felt bone. At this point he started to curl his claw up and send it down Iron Foot's throat. Iron Foot gargled the blood as it filled his mouth and spilled out onto Nails and the floor. He felt the claw leave him and he fell onto the floor. Nails got up and looked down at Iron Foot.

"No loose ends this time." he said as he picked up the sword. "No second chances." Nails lifted the sword up into the air and swung down with all of his strength. The sword cut through Iron Foot's neck and his head rolled away from his body. Nails looked down at his work and then turned around. He saw that the wire he had cut earlier had come into contact with a rag and the rag was beginning to smoke. Nails took that as a sign to leave and quickly rushed up to grab his gun and he also found Rainbow Dash's locket. He sprinted out of the building as he saw smoke roll up from the stairs.

He got a good hundred feet away before he sat down in the sand. He lit a cigar as smoke rolled into the sky. He sat there for a few hours until he heard a voice overhead.

"A few days alone and you pull this off? What the hell did you do this time Nails?"

"What are you doing here? I thought I said one week!"

"You did. We were camped out a few miles away when we saw the smoke. We would have gotten here quicker but we ran into a head wind."

"And why were you a few miles away?"

"So that at exactly one week we could get here quickly and possibly save your life, but you seem to have done a damn good job by yourself."

"I killed the bastard, nothing more to it." said Nails as he took out a cigar and lit it. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's probably a funeral I have to stop."

"Well, you might want to go see Whiskey first. He said he was going to send a letter to the elements about Iron Foot's death. Perhaps you could ride with me since he asked me to deliver it."

"Let me guess, he also wanted you to find my body to give me a proper burial?"

"You know him so well."

"I also know that you would have been too lazy to look for it."

"True."

"I would have haunted your ass for the rest of your life."

"I wouldn't doubt it Nails." said Delta as the group set out for Sandstone.

"Do you think I could get a bath or somethin first? I hate having Iron Foot all over me."

"So, that about sums up everything that happened." said Nails.

"So it's all over?" asked Rainbow Dash, "You can stay here permanently?"

"Well, about that."

"Don't you want to stay here? Don't you want to stay with us?" asked Fluttershy

"Of course I do." said Nails "It's just that..."

"The wars not over yet." interrupted Delta, "We have to leave to go back to Forshan soon."

"Why? Didn't he kill Iron Foot?" asked Twilight.

"Yes I did, it's just that there are more soldiers of Iron Foot still in Forshan. The griffons, Forshan, and I are going to be launching several joint operations to try and hunt down the remainder of the soldiers and kill them." responded Nails.

"So, I guess you're leaving again." said Rainbow Dash, "How long should it take?"

"Well, it would have taken a week or two if someone hadn't burnt down the building that might have had the information on each of the bases." said Delta.

"Not my fault."

"Without anything to go on except for any contacts that Nails has."

"And I have a lot of contacts."

"It should take us around a month or two."

"A whole month?" said Rainbow Dash.

"I'm sorry Rainbow, but it has to be done." said Nails.

"I know, it's just that I lose you then I get you back, and now I have to lose you for a whole month."

"Look on the bright side. By the time I get back you should be flying again."

"Promise that you'll come back."

"What do you want me to do?"

"He could Pinkie swear!" yelled out Pinkie Pie.

"What's a Pinkie swear?"

"It's like a contract. If you break it... Well... I'd be more scared ah Pinkie then I would of you." said Applejack

"Really?"

"Personal experience."

"Ok, so how do I make a Pinkie swear?"

"You cross your heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye!" said Pinkie Pie who acted out each step.

"Ok then, Rainbow Dash. I'll return. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"That makes me feel better." said Rainbow Dash.

"Nails." said Delta who was standing by the door.

"Its time." said Nails as he turned for the door.

"Wait!" yelled Rainbow Dash.

Nails turned around and felt Rainbow Dash's lips meet his. He kissed her back and brought her into an embrace. The two kissed in silence for a few moments until someone broke the silence.

"Get up boy, Get up! Time to go to work!" said Delta in the background.

Nails broke of the kiss and turned around to face Delta who had a wide grin on his face.

"I'm gonna get you for that."

"I know you will, but I'll say it again. It was worth it."

"Why don't you see about how I'm gonna get there?"

"You're walking. I'm not taken any chances." said Delta as he walked out the door.

"I'm going to need laxatives, super glue, and the hottest peppers you can find."

"I'll show you where to get them." said Rainbow Dash. Just because she was losing Nails for a month didn't mean she would hate it. If he was going to have fun then so would she. The month would go fast.

The two left to go into town. Nails needed to get ready to go on one last mission. Eliminate all enemies.

Author Notes

1. I would like to thank everyone that read this far in the story. For those of you hoping to see Nails hunting down terrorists, well, I'm sorry. BUT! His story's not over yet. He still has to live in Ponyville but before that can happen; I think that it's time we take a look at his past. I don't know everything I'm going to do in the next story so any suggestions are welcome. Please review, any critique is welcome.

P.S. You will get to learn just what Nails did to Delta.

2. I'm sorry it took me so long to get these chapters up. I got so caught up in my other writing, correcting, ACT, school, and football and I was just writing faster than I could upload. So, I guess I'm going to try and do better at uploading but I'm not making any promises.

3. For those of you wondering how the C4 would have burned, it actually burns pretty well so it wouldn't have been detected in such a short time.


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